10/10/2004

The OnlyOnce blog offers these tips for dealing with non-VC investors in startups:

"1. Be very selective about who you let invest in the early stages of your company

2. Make sure angel investors acknowledge to you verbally (above and beyond the accredited investor rep they give you) that they are totally comfortable losing all of their money

3. Make sure angels and strategics understand that in order to preserve the value of their investment, they may need to continue investing in your company if you end up raising multiple rounds of financing

4. Without being unfair, try to limit the rights (or assign them by proxy to you or to the Board or to a lead investor) of less sophisticated financial investors who aren't and won't be close enough to your business to participate in major corporate decisions down the road. Along these lines, you should strongly consider selling both types of investors common stock, especially if it's early on in the company's life"

About Me

I am a strategic business lawyer, deal attorney and professor. I received my B.A. in Economics from Princeton University and my J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. I am an adjunct faculty member of Chatham University and Strayer University.